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Aubrayo Franklin may have visited the 49ers on Monday. But the free-agent nose tackle isn’t making a return visit. After four seasons in San Francisco, Franklin agreed to one-year contract with the Saints today, ESPN reported. Financial terms were not disclosed.
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Lost amid the hand-wringing over the 49ers’ deliberate approach to free agency is the fact that the team signed a five-time All-Pro who was lured by the Harbaugh name and the talented teammates he’d work with in San Francisco. No, Larry Grant is a fine guess, but not the correct response. Give up?
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The writing may have appeared to be on the wall three months ago, but linebacker Manny Lawson didn’t officially become an ex-49er until he signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Bengals on Monday night. Lawson’s exit, reported by ESPN, seemed to be foreshadowed when the Niners used the No. 7 overall pick in […]
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On Saturday, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio noted five 49ers defensive starters from last year weren’t at training camp and he added that it didn’t “look promising for them to be here.” Fangio’s comment was notable because it suggested free-agent safety Dashon Goldson would not be re-signed. Today, there came a bit more evidence that Goldson […]
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Niners tight end Nate Byham has a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season, according to his agent, Chase Callahan. Byham, who is scheduled to undergo surgery in two weeks at Stanford Hospital, was carted off the practice field Saturday after he jumped for a pass and landed awkwardly on his left […]
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Frank Gore will be in training camp tomorrow per Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area, who talked to Jim Harbaugh after practice. Harbaugh said the team will continue to look at his contract, but that no new deal has been struck. Frank Gore is in town. Notes from the 49ers’ first padded practice. -Linebacker Patrick […]
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Olin Kruetz is out in Chicago. Until further notice, however, Adam Snyder remains the 49ers center. With speculation swirling that Kruetz, 34, a six-time Pro Bowl center, could be headed to San Francisco, Snyder remains focused on learning his new position. “Right now, I’m going what they ask me to do,” Snyder said. “We haven’t […]
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Adios, Aubrayo? Well, maybe not so fast. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported, via Twitter, that 49ers nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin will be arriving in the Bay Area tonight for a “visit” with the team. It was widely expected that Franklin, an unrestricted free agent, would not be retained after spending the past four seasons in San […]
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The message has been made abundantly clear: The 49ers have decided to take a less-than-aggressive approach to the free-agent market. But, given the terms of the new collective bargaining agreement, the question becomes obvious: Don’t the Niners have to, eventually, get aggressive in order to spend the majority of the nearly $124 million per-team cap […]
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According to Matt Barrows, the 49ers are close to signing former Chargers linebacker Antwan Applewhite. He started 13 games last year in San Diego and made 37 tackles, three sacks and forced two fumbles. The Chargers rescinded their qualifying off to the 6-3, 258-pound Applewhite on Thursday, which might be related to his arrest on […]
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General manager Trent Baalke met with the media near the end of practice today. He declined to discuss reports that free-agent wide receiver Plaxico Burress will visit the 49ers later today and was largely tight-lipped on the subject of Frank Gore’s holdout — although he did say it didn’t surprise him. Here are some select […]
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Second-year tight end Nate Byham was carted off the practice field this afternoon with what appeared to be a serious injury to his left knee. Byham, who jumped for a pass, immediately yelled in pain after landing on the knee, which appeared to buckle. As trainers examined his knee, he received encouragement from fellow tight […]
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The 49ers have yet to make a big splash in free agency — perhaps you’ve noticed? — but they might be creating a slight ripple with the apparent signing of Rams inside linebacker Larry Grant. Grant’s apparent move was signaled this morning through the Twitter account of the former star at City College of San […]
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Any interest in a soon-to-be 34-year-old wide receiver who hasn’t played in the NFL since 2008? The 49ers are, according to a New York Post report indicating free-agent wide receiver Plaxico Burress will be flying in to visit the team later today. Citing a source, Steve Serby of the New York Post reported, via Twitter, […]
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Jim Harbaugh was probably excited to get back on the practice field, that way, he wouldn’t have to hear more bad news about injuries and lack of free-agent acquisitions. Here are some other notes from practice: -Isaac Sopoaga missed practice with a strained hamstring; Ricky Jean Francois started at nose tackle. -Colin Kaepernick got most […]
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The 49ers’ defensive players didn’t have playbooks to study during the lockout. And there might have been a reason for that: They would have needed a translator to decipher them. Prior to the first practice of training camp today, cornerback Shawntae Spencer said the terminology of Vic Fangio’s 3-4 defense is vastly different than the […]
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The 49ers parted ways with two long-tenured players with longtime Bay Area ties today when they released/failed physical center Eric Heitmann and placekicker Joe Nedney. CSN Bay Area first reported their releases. Heitmann, 31, a seventh-round pick in the 2002 draft from Stanford, missed last season with a neck injury that required offseason surgery to […]
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Good morning. Want some more bad news? The 49ers have dropped out of the pursuit for cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, according to NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi. Adding insult to injury, the Cowboys have replaced the Niners as the Jets’ main competition to obtain the services of the four-time All Pro.
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So why, exactly, did the Niners feel the need to sign a reliable, veteran, left-footed placekicker in Philadelphia’s David Akers on Thursday when they had a guy matching the same description already on the roster? According to the San Jose Mercury News, there is logical explanation: Joe Nedney, 38, is planning to retire Friday after […]
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It appears Michael Crabtree and training camp won’t be seeing much of each other for the third straight season. According to the Sacramento Bee, the foot injury the 49ers’ third-year wide receiver suffered during the team’s players-only offensive minicamp in early June will force to him to miss four to six weeks of training camp, […]
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When asked today about competing for the starting quarterback job, Colin Kaepernick said he didn’t think the 49ers drafted him to be a spectator. Good news for the rookie: He’ll be anything but an observer at his first NFL practice Friday. As it stands, Kaepernick, who signed a four-year contract today, will be the only […]
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Isaac Sopoaga found out he was the team’s new nose tackle when he walked into defensive line coach Jim Tomsula’s office and saw his name listed on at chart in the middle of the defense. “I’m comfortable,” said Sopoaga of moving back to a place he once played before the 49ers signed Aubrayo Franklin. And […]
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